Stage Maps of the 2010 Tour de France

Straight and flat roads await the riders at the start of the 2010 Tour de France in the opening 8.9km prologue in Holland. In short, it is a perfect opportunity of the time trial specialists to impose their own order.

Riders head for the Zeeland polders for the first part of this 223.5 km stage, with the route sandwiched between land and sea. They then cross Flanders through Antwerp and Malines before arriving in Brussels via the town of Meise where Eddy Merckx lives. This is one for the sprinters.

The most frantic day of the Tour, with 7 cobbled sectors totaling 13 kilometers. All told it will be 213 nervy km in the saddle for those in the GC hunt. Starting among the rolling hills of the Belgian Ardennes, this stage finishes at the entrance to the legendary Arenberg Trench of Paris-Roubaix.

Leaving Epernay, the pack will barely glimpse the surrounding hillsides of the Champagne region. This 187.5 km stage course then passes through Brie and Gâtinais and finishes in Montargis. Another stage tailor-made for sprinters.

The longest stage in the 2010 Tour: 227.5 kilometres, from Loiret to Saône-et-Loire, from the Centre region to southern Bourgogne. Another flat stage, with a few bumps in the course that visits Gueugnon, a new town on the Tour.

This 165.5 km stage hits two new host towns: Tournus and Les Rousses. After a flat ride, the roads rises into a succession of mountains, most notably the southern slopes of La Croix de la Serra (1,049 m). A final 14 kilometre climb will leads to the summit finish in Les Rousses.

Another mountain day that goes for 189 kilometres from the Jura to the Alps. Today begins the first test with high mountain peaks. Ramaz Pass, only climbed twice, appears forty kilometres from the high altitude finish in Avoriaz.

Following the first rest day, the first major alpine day is a 204.5km stage with four climbs. Riders climb to the Colombière mountain pass, cross into Savoie and the Aravis pass, followed by the Saisies pass. The final and most grueling challenge is the Madeleine pass 30km from the finish.

A stage never-before-seen in the Tour, with two new start and finish cities. This 184.5 km stage climbs out of Sisteron past its famous citadel to the main bump on the road, the Col de Carbre. From there, it's all downhill and will be a day for the sprinters to show off their finishing kick.

At 210.5 km this stage, the race’s third longest, could give the GC contenders fits. The principal difficulty is the Croix Neuve, a short but steep pitch that leads to the finish. Time gaps here won’t be large, but the terrain is tough enough to punish any rider having a bad day.

From the start of this 196 km stage, riders hit a few leg-testing climbs before the Tarn Valley, the Lauragais and then Black Mountain. The final test will be the Cote de Saint-FerrÉol, six kilometres from the finish, which could decide the stage victor.

Celebrating 100 years of the Pyrenees in the Tour, the road turns uphill in a major way on this 184.5km stage. Expect gaps on the ascent of Port de Pailhères (15.1km climb at 8.1%) and Plateau de Bonascre (7.9km climb to 8.3%) -- the first time these cols have been featured in the 21st century.

Day two in the Pyrenees offers no escape on this 187.5 km route that hits Col du Portet d’Aspet (5.8km at 6.8%), Col des Ares (6.1km at 47%) and Port de Balès (19.2km at 6.2%, with sections over 10%). This is one for those that climb with the best.

On a 199.5km day that includes classic climbs like the Tourmalet and the Aubisque, stage 16 is certainly the Queen stage in the Pyrenees this year. But with the final Aubisque climb over 60 kilometers from the finish in Pau, it is not necessarily a stage for the pure climbers.

The Tourmalet, citadel of the Pyrenees, plays a starring role on the 100th anniversary of its first Tour appearance and promises a nasty mountaintop finish. This 174km stage ascends the steepest side uphill from Barèges following the climb of the Marie-Blanque and Soulor passes.

The stage to Bordeaux following the Pyrenees is virtually always the sprinter’s stage. And for the speedsters of the peloton it holds nearly the same prestige as the final stage into Paris. Expect no exceptions this year on the 198km ride into French Wine Country.

With the race finally decided on Saturday’s time trial, Sunday’s 102.5km stage into the French capital of Paris remains the final promenade. Winning in Paris is a career highlight for sprinters, so don't be surprised to the race end in a fast and furious field sprint on the sport's grandest stage.

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